From the get-go, we knew the Wombats' sold-out January 15th Cats' Cradle show was going to be special.

The DJ had been playing nondescript alternative songs, serving as background music while the crowd patiently waited for the show to start. Shortly after 10:00 PM, James Brown's "Get Up (I Feel Like Being A) Sex Machine" came blaring through the speakers and someone came out, dressed in a wombat outfit, and shook its wombat butt for the crowd's amusement. Dan Haggis, Tord Knudsen, and Matthew Murphy then came on stage, waved to the crowd, and launched into "Cheetah Tongue."

The band was electric and had the crowd hopping the entire time, leaving the Cradle sweltering. The Wombats drew equally from all four albums in their discography, treating fans to classics as well as future classics by performing the first four tracks off Beautiful People Will Ruin Your Life, which is set to be released on February 9th, including standout single "Lemon To A Knife Fight."

The band was killer from start to end, treating fans to favorites like "Techno Fan," "Tokyo (Vampires & Wolves)," and "Give Me a Try." The crowd screamed along to every word that came out of Murphy's lips, leaving the crowd spent after their energetic closer and crowd favorite, "Let's Dance To Joy Division." After a brief intermission, the Wombats came out for a three-song encore which ended with "Greek Tragedy."

Despite being a huge fan of the band, this was the first time I've ever seen them live (I believe they said this was the first time they've been to NC in seven years). Don't you sleep on them, either. They'll be playing club dates until the end of January and will return to the States in June to open for the first leg of the Pixies/Weezer tour. If you can make one of the Wombats/Pixies/Weezer shows, it might be a life-changing experience.

SET LIST
Cheetah Tongue
Give Me A Try
1996
Kill The Director
Black Flamingo
Techno Fan
Emoticons
Lemon To A Knife Fight
Here Comes The Anxiety
Moving to New York
The English Summer
Pink Lemonade
Jump Into The Fog
Let's Dance To Joy Division